The Beaver Lakes Conservation Easement project took a giant step forward when the Whitefish Community Foundation provided Whitefish Legacy Partners with a $100,000 Major Challenge Grant. 

The nonprofit has been working to complete funding of a permanent conservation easement on 1,520 acres in the Beaver Lakes area. This challenge grant requires Whitefish Legacy Partners to raise $100,000, which will then be matched with a $100,000 grant from the Whitefish Community Foundation’s Major Grant Program. 

The matching money includes $25,000 from the Whitefish Community Foundation and $75,000 from the Whitefish Community Foundation Board of Directors and Advisory Committee. 

“This challenge is as much for the citizens of the Whitefish community as it is for Whitefish Legacy Partners,” said Foundation Executive Director Linda Engh-Grady. “The open space, watershed protection and trail system are tremendous assets for Whitefish and greatly enhance our community. It is time to show your support Whitefish and help finish the campaign.”

The Beaver Lakes conservation and recreation easement purchase was structured over a two-year period with the final payment due Dec. 31. 

A significant portion has been funded by philanthropist Michael Goguen, with Whitefish Legacy Partners responsible for raising the remaining $2 million from the community. 

Sandwich boards with a financial gradient thermometer graphic have been placed in key areas around Whitefish and many people have supported the effort with the organization currently at 91 percent of its goal. 

It must raise the final $185,000 that will not only provide the match to meet the Whitefish Community Foundation’s $100,000 Major Challenge Grant but also complete the final fundraising effort. 

“Every dollar counts so we can achieve the match, and we are asking the community to step up and help us complete this goal,” Whitefish Legacy Partners Executive Director Heidi Van Everen said.

Two years ago, Whitefish Legacy Partners and the city of Whitefish concluded negotiations with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation to purchase a permanent conservation and recreation easement on 1,520 acres of School Trust Land in the Beaver Lakes area. 

Whitefish Legacy Partners agreed to purchase the development rights associated with this land, which precludes all future development on the land. The Department of Natural Resources and Conservation will continue to manage the land as a sustainable and active forest, while Whitefish Legacy Partners manages the area for recreation, with plans to expand the Whitefish Trail and provide accessibility to seven alpine lakes.

 The Whitefish Trail is the anchor recreation project encompassed by the easement. The easement is the result of collaborative partnerships providing public access and quality recreation while protecting the clean water of Whitefish Lake, prime wildlife habitat and maintaining actively managed forests on open lands surrounding Whitefish.

Since its inception in 2000, the Whitefish Community Foundation has supported local nonprofit organizations in the Whitefish community with over $12 million in funding. The foundation serves local philanthropists by providing optimal tax advantages, responsible investing and grant making that fulfills their charitable intentions.

To learn more about this project, visit www.whitefishlegacy.org.